"Fires burning in drought-parched California on Tuesday menaced thousands of structures as firefighters struggled to corral the blazes there and elsewhere in the U.S. West, authorities said.

The so-called Lowell Fire north of the state capital, Sacramento, has injured four of the 2,277 firefighters battling it, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). One firefighter was hospitalized with serious burns, CalFire said.

Roughly a third of the 2,233-acre blaze was contained as of Tuesday morning, with low humidity and high heat expected throughout the day. Roads were closed and evacuation warnings were in place around the fire, which was threatening about 1,800 structures, CalFire said."

Curtis Skinner reports for Reuters July 28, 2015. [2]